F1 2026 Predictions: Rookies Shine, Teams Surprise

On May 1st, our F1 2026 preseason predictions are getting a reality check after the first

three races right before the Miami.

Restart.

All three riders nail Mercedes as constructor champs with their edge even bigger than

expected despite some up and down racing.

Ferrari and the Claren were pegged next but Haas shocked everyone by landing fourth already.

Riders like Ronald Vorting and Jake Boxal Legga are mostly sticking to their top guns,

maybe flipping the Claren ahead of Ferrari now that they've sorted their power unit

woes.

Red Bulls lagging behind Alpine and Haas early on but upgrades could shake that up.

Lower down, swaps like Audi and Williams make sense as teams shed weight and tweet chassis.

The human side, pundits admit they lowballed rookies and midfield grinders.

George Russell's leading the charge as predicted but Kimmy Antonelli's blown past expectations,

turning heads with mistake-free drives that have Mercedes flying higher.

New tweaks show Antonelli jumping to second and revised driver picks ahead of Charles

LeClair and Lando Norris.

Lewis Hamilton's grooving better than thought while Max for Stappen drops due to Red Bull's

RB-22 headaches.

Pierre Gasley and Oliver Bareman shine in the midfield scrum.

Miami's next promising clarity on Red Bull fixes and fresh upgrades.

Early days mean this battle is just heating up with plenty of flips ahead.

I'm Corey with the story and you've been listening to F1 News today, AI-powered team coverage.